Kenshin Merchandise - Blast from the Past! I've finally got around to sharing some of the Kenshin merchandise I've acquired recently.
First up is not officially a Kenshin product, but is really cool. It's a Tanto (knife) that looks almost exactly like the one used by Tomoe throughout the OVA. This particular model is the Cold Steel Kwaiken (CS52K), and is based on an actual antique. It sells for under 100 USD, but has been discontinued so they can be a bit hard to find.
The handle and saya are a nice black laquer finish, while the blade is a Damascus type steel with a hidden hamon. The hamon is definitely there (I did etch testing) but Cold Steel did not try to bring it out. The blade is top-notch and very sharp. The fittings are a bit rough, but acceptable at this price range. The knife does a feel a bit top heavy though, and is better suited for stabbing rather than slashing.
Next up is the Yamato Story Image Figure Series 2 Kenshin. Though small, this figure is really kick-ass and really captures the essence of the Hitokiri Battousai. It feels more true to the OVA than the new Megahouse figure I just reviewed recently. Pair it up with the Saito Figure from Series 3 for an epic showdown.
Now onto the Japanese Kenshin OVA LaserDisc release. Laserdiscs (LDs) were a popular format in asia during the 80's and 90's. They are massive video sized discs about the same size as a record. They are kind of like DVD's, but stored information in analog form. They actually had better quality than early DVD's, since storing it analog means no compression artifacts, and you can go through a film frame by frame. But as compression technology improved, DVDs began to have better image quality than LDs. LDs never really caught on in North America, despite being a lot better than VHS. Nevertheless, they are excellent collectors items, because of their rarity, the sheer size of the artwork, and tons of extra content.
I had to import my Kenshin LD from yahoo auctions japan through a middle-man, so all the fees and shipping added up to quite a bit, but it was totally worth it. The OVA comes in a large box. Inside is an oversized book with artwork, information, and promotional material. There are four Laser Discs, one for each episode. The cover art is really cool, especially when printed at this size. A very cool and historical collector's item. I just wish I could watch it, but I don't have a Laser Disc player. The image quality would probably not be as sharp as DVD, but Laser Discs are supposed to have a very film-like quality that you can't get from a digital medium.
Finally, I have the North American release of the Kenshin OVA Soundtrack. This CD is pretty rare, since ADV died and the CD has been out of print for a while now. It has some pretty cool linear notes from the composer, and you can check them out below.
http://www.hitokiri.net/forum/read.php?4,70,70#msg-70
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 20:33:43 -0800Phorum 5.2.8http://www.hitokiri.net/forum/read.php?4,70,70#msg-70Kenshin Merchandise - Blast from the Past!http://www.hitokiri.net/forum/read.php?4,70,70#msg-70
First up is not officially a Kenshin product, but is really cool. It's a Tanto (knife) that looks almost exactly like the one used by Tomoe throughout the OVA. This particular model is the Cold Steel Kwaiken (CS52K), and is based on an actual antique. It sells for under 100 USD, but has been discontinued so they can be a bit hard to find.

The handle and saya are a nice black laquer finish, while the blade is a Damascus type steel with a hidden hamon. The hamon is definitely there (I did etch testing) but Cold Steel did not try to bring it out. The blade is top-notch and very sharp. The fittings are a bit rough, but acceptable at this price range. The knife does a feel a bit top heavy though, and is better suited for stabbing rather than slashing.

Next up is the Yamato Story Image Figure Series 2 Kenshin. Though small, this figure is really kick-ass and really captures the essence of the Hitokiri Battousai. It feels more true to the OVA than the new Megahouse figure I just reviewed recently. Pair it up with the Saito Figure from Series 3 for an epic showdown.

Now onto the Japanese Kenshin OVA LaserDisc release. Laserdiscs (LDs) were a popular format in asia during the 80's and 90's. They are massive video sized discs about the same size as a record. They are kind of like DVD's, but stored information in analog form. They actually had better quality than early DVD's, since storing it analog means no compression artifacts, and you can go through a film frame by frame. But as compression technology improved, DVDs began to have better image quality than LDs. LDs never really caught on in North America, despite being a lot better than VHS. Nevertheless, they are excellent collectors items, because of their rarity, the sheer size of the artwork, and tons of extra content.

I had to import my Kenshin LD from yahoo auctions japan through a middle-man, so all the fees and shipping added up to quite a bit, but it was totally worth it. The OVA comes in a large box. Inside is an oversized book with artwork, information, and promotional material. There are four Laser Discs, one for each episode. The cover art is really cool, especially when printed at this size. A very cool and historical collector's item. I just wish I could watch it, but I don't have a Laser Disc player. The image quality would probably not be as sharp as DVD, but Laser Discs are supposed to have a very film-like quality that you can't get from a digital medium.

Finally, I have the North American release of the Kenshin OVA Soundtrack. This CD is pretty rare, since ADV died and the CD has been out of print for a while now. It has some pretty cool linear notes from the composer, and you can check them out below.